Processes for the production of platinum group metal (PGM)-enriched alloys are described. The PGM enriched-alloys can have 0 to 60 wt.-% of iron and 20 to 99 wt.-% of one or more PGMs selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium and rhodium. The described processes exhibit remarkably low PGM losses during production of PGM-enriched alloys therefore yield alloys having considerably high PGM levels.

Disclosed herein are composition and methods for gold recover based on precisely controlling the reciprocal transformation and instantaneous assembly of the second-sphere coordinated adducts formed between cyclodextrin and gold anions optionally in the presence of an additive.

A method, apparatus and system for processing a composite waste source, such as e-waste, is disclosed. The composite waste source may comprise low-, moderate and high-melting point constituents, such as plastics, metals and ceramics. The composite waste source is heated to a first temperature zone, causing at least some of the low-melting point constituents to at least partially thermally transform. The composite waste source is subsequently heated to a second, higher, temperature zone, causing at least some of the moderate-melting point constituents to at least partially thermally transform. At least some of the at least partially thermally transformed constituents may be recovered. The method, apparatus and system disclosed may provide for the recovery and reuse of materials which would otherwise be sent to landfill or incinerated.

In the disclosure, a method for recycling a material is disclosed, the method including: carrying out a first pass operation, wherein the first pass operation includes preparing an E-waste material and a solid oxide material, wherein the E-waste material includes Fe and Si, blending the E-waste material with fluxing agents, feeding a furnace with the blended E-waste material and the solid oxide material, and carrying out smelting the blended E-waste material and the solid oxide material to obtain a slag including iron oxide and a molten metal including copper. A system for recycling an E-waste material including Fe and Si is also disclosed, where the system includes an E-waste material blending unit where the E-waste material blending unit is configured to prepare the E-waste material, fluxing agents and a copper oxide material, and a furnace configured to carry out gasification and smelting the E-waste material and the copper oxide material to obtain a slag including iron oxide and a molten metal including copper.

The invention discloses improvements and additional uses of thermo-mechanical processes using a rotary kiln for the separation of parts from a device that are held together by various means such as solder, epoxies, glues, and/or any other thermally degradable adhesives or underfills, and which is suitable for material size reduction via thermal decomposition of encapsulant materials such as integrated circuit casings or thermally degradable materials such as carbon-based hydro processing catalysts. The invention includes further sorting the materials according to predetermined size either in-situ or in series using a meshed vibrating table downstream of the rotary kiln. These devices can include, but not limited to, printed circuit boards, catalysts, solar panels, and the like.

A method and apparatus for step-by-step retrieving valuable metals from waste printed circuit board particles. Many kinds of metals, most existing in form of elementary substance or alloy, are contained in the waste printed circuit boards. Molten metals are separated selectively by supergravity separation at different temperatures to achieve the step-by-step recovery. Tin-based alloys, lead-based alloy, zinc aluminum alloy, crude copper and precious-metal-enriched residues with different metal contents are separated out and collected on the condition of different temperatures (T=200300 C., 330430 C., 700900 C., 11001300 C.) and controlling the gravity coefficient (G=501000) and separation time (t=220 min) etc. Different metals or alloys can be separated quickly and efficiently and the residue concentration of precious metals can be obtained. The process is simple and low cost to provide an efficient way to recovery the enrichment of valuable metals from electronic wastes.

A process for the production of a PGM-enriched alloy comprising 0 to 60 wt.-% of iron and 20 to 99 wt.-% of one or more PGMs selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium and rhodium, the process comprising the steps of (1) providing a PGM collector alloy comprising 30 to 95 wt.-% of iron, less than 1 wt.-% of sulfur and 2 to 15 wt.-% of one or more PGMs selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium and rhodium, (2) providing a copper- and sulfur-free material capable of forming a slag-like composition when molten, wherein the molten slag-like composition comprises 40 to 90 wt.-% of magnesium oxide and/or calcium oxide and 10 to 60 wt.-% of silicon dioxide, (3) melting the PGM collector alloy and the material capable of forming a slag-like composition when molten in a weight ratio of 1:0.2 to 1 within a converter until a multi- or two-phase system of a lower high-density molten mass comprising the molten PGM collector alloy and one or more upper low-density molten masses comprising the molten slag-like composition has formed, (4) contacting an oxidizing gas comprising 0 to 80 vol.-% of inert gas and 20 to 100 vol.-% of oxygen with the lower high-density molten mass obtained in step (3) until it has been converted into a lower high-density molten mass of the PGM-enriched alloy, (5) separating an upper low-density molten slag formed in the course of step (4) from the lower high-density molten mass of the PGM-enriched alloy making use of the difference in density, (6) letting the molten masses separated from one another cool down and solidify, and (7) collecting the solidified PGM-enriched alloy.

The cost of precious metals, such as gold, makes recovery or recycling of these materials economically viable and desirable. Disclosed herein is a method of recovering gold from waste sources thereof, in particular waste electrical goods. Also disclosed herein is an apparatus for recovering gold from said waste sources. In particular, disclosed herein is a method and apparatus in which gold leaching chlorine gas is generated externally to a reactor vessel and subsequently pumped into the reactor vessel comprising the waste gold materials.

The cost of precious metals, such as gold, makes recovery or recycling of these materials economically viable and desirable. Disclosed herein is a method of recovering gold from waste sources thereof, in particular waste electrical goods. Also disclosed herein is an apparatus for recovering gold from said waste sources. In particular, disclosed herein is a method and apparatus in which gold leaching chlorine gas is generated externally to a reactor vessel and subsequently pumped into the reactor vessel comprising the waste gold materials.

A process for recycling and reusing supported Pd membranes includes the separation of the Pd (or Pd alloy) layer from the support by contacting the Pd membrane with hydrogen under pressure and at low temperature and then with a second gas that is different from hydrogen. The Pd layer separated from the support can then be treated to solubilize the Pd and, where appropriate, the alloy metal(s) to obtain salts that can be reused, for example in the preparation of new Pd membranes. The recovered supports are also reusable.